Characteristics of Open Public Hearing Speakers of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee meetings

The FDA has regulated the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of all cigarette, roll-your-own, and smokeless tobacco products since 2009; in 2016 it expanded that regulation to all tobacco products1. The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) is an advisory panel that makes recommendations for approval regarding various tobacco products. The meetings of this panel include presentations from representatives of the tobacco industry and an Open Public Hearing section. The Open Public hearing section of this meeting allows for advocacy groups and the general public to make statements regarding the topic or product being discussed by the committee. These speakers include physicians, cancer survivors and their families, and representatives from patient advocacy groups and other organizations. Also included are speakers from various backgrounds whose presence at the meeting is funded by the tobacco companies or other outside groups. At the start of each Open Public Hearing section, participants are encouraged to disclose any financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) at the beginning of their testimony. However, they are also told that not disclosing any FCOI will not preclude them from speaking. Here we describe the association between Open Public Hearing speakers and financial conflicts of interest with the tobacco industry.